Stranger Beside Me

Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash

I stare at the face I have stood beside for more than a decade

I search for understanding, insight, truth

I see a face

I look deeper

Trying to find more

I see a face

I listen to the talking and I try to see behind the words

To peel back the veneer

To find something more than the sounds

I hear words

I try harder

Trying to find more

I hear words

I concentrate . . . intensely . . .

I hold my breath

I squint

I should see more than a face, hear more than words

I want to see more than a face, hear more than words

I see a face

I hear words

Ode to the Proletariat

Sometimes . . . The Runner Stumbles

Objects in Our Rear View Mirror